


Kiss it better

by BloodthirstyMerc



Category: DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Blood, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Death, Deathfic, Get some Sleep, Gore, Jaytim - Freeform, Loss, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Sleep Deprivation, word of advise from the dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 07:38:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17638574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodthirstyMerc/pseuds/BloodthirstyMerc
Summary: “Will you come home now, please?” Jason asks in a low voice. Tim sighs and turns around in Jason’s hold to look up at him.“You’re not going to stop nagging.”“I’m not nagging. I’m worried.” Jason corrects. Tim sighs as his lips twitch into a weak smile.“Okay, fine, you win.” He steps back, and his smile widens slightly. “But if we come across anything on the way I’m not going to ignore it.”





	Kiss it better

**Author's Note:**

> [This fic has been translated into Russian!](https://ficbook.net/readfic/8480615)
> 
> Massive thank you to [AluminumMockingbird ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AluminumMockingbird) for offing to do so :D

“I don’t need you to babysit me, Hood.” Tim’s voice didn’t show any signs of amusement in the fact that Jason had chosen to tag along on his patrol that night. Jason crosses his arms over his chest, smirking at Tim from under the hood.

“I know. But you’ve been without sleep for like forty-eight hours and considering I can’t drag your ass home, the next best thing I can do is watch your ass.” Jason points out.

“It’s probably closer to like fifty-something hours at this point, but I don’t see your point? I’ve stayed up for a whole week before, you know this.” Tim shrugs. Jason sighs and rests his head in his hand.

“Yes, I do know, Nightwing found you half beaten to death and passed out on top of Wayne Tower,” Jason grumbles.

“I was not half beaten to death.” Tim defends as he crosses his own arms over his chest and shoots Jason a disapproving glare that goes unseen from under his mask. Jason knows it’s there all the same.

“Sorry, one broken arm and five broken ribs doesn’t quite cover that category does it?” Jason shakes his head and averts his gaze. “Look, please just come home.”

“I need to finish this case.”

“You can finish it once you’ve gotten some sleep. He’s still going to be killing people tomorrow, just please.” Jason steps up to Tim and goes to reach out for him. Tim pulls back, shaking his head at Jason.

“He needs to be stopped.” Tim hisses.

“Tim, you’re gonna get yourself killed.” Jason hates that he sounds desperate. He just wants Tim to come home, he doesn’t want to have to drag him across Gotham because he’d gotten himself in trouble.

“I’ll take my chances.” And with that Tim turns away from Jason and takes a running leap from the building, grappling away. Jason grits his teeth and curses under his breath. If you can’t beat them, join them.

\- - -

As much as Jason will not admit out loud, Tim does a pretty good job with holding up his own when they crowd the guy at his penthouse. There are at least ten guards they have to get through to get to him, and if Jason didn’t know that Tim was running without sleep, he wouldn’t believe someone who told him. Though he does know Tim enough that he wouldn’t be surprised if someone said as much. And confronting the guy which Jason finds out is one of Falcone’s men (surprise, surprise) is just as easy. Tim handles it pretty well and within a few hours the thug is in the GCPD’s hands and they’re making their way from the site before anyone who wouldn’t be happy seeing them there gets a chance. Jason still has a look over the edge of a building and notices Gordon looking around like he’s expecting to see one of them nearby. He doesn’t stick around long enough to be spotted, heading after Tim.

“See? I told you I’d be fine.” Tim mumbles, stifling a yawn as they take a moment to sort themselves out. Jason steps up to him and is pleased that he doesn’t try to pull away this time. He wraps his arms around Tim’s waist and rests his head against the back of Tim’s. The helmets in the way, but the gesture is still there.

“Will you come home now, please?” Jason asks in a low voice. Tim sighs and turns around in Jason’s hold to look up at him.

“You’re not going to stop nagging.”

“I’m not nagging. I’m worried.” Jason corrects. Tim sighs as his lips twitch into a weak smile.

“Okay, fine, you win.” He steps back, and his smile widens slightly. “But if we come across anything on the way I’m not going to ignore it.”

“Of course not.” Jason huffs as Tim turns and starts in the direction of Jason’s safehouse. Jason moves after him instantly.

Jason’s a little surprised that they don’t come across anything until they’re two blocks from his safehouse. But of course, when they do find trouble it’s something big. At a first glance, it looks like some guys doing some shady late-night car deal. At a second glance, Jason notices the van parked further in the alley and the fact that there’s clearly some drug deal going down. Tim’s already jumping down into the alley before Jason can even make a move or say anything. He follows suit.

The moment they’re noticed the whole alley erupts with the sound of gunfire. Jason doesn’t hesitate to return fire, as much as he’s starting to lean more toward not killing scum he knows deserve it, tonight he’s not feeling so generous. He’s already been nice.

He loses Tim among the chaos, catching glimpses of red every so often, but he never really places where Tim is. There are a lot more men in the alley than Jason had first thought as they seem to come out of the woodwork like damn roaches. They’d obviously been prepared for the instant that maybe a Bat would come along and fuck things up. But he doubts they were counting on two of them showing up. As overwhelming as the rapid gunfire can seem at first, Jason knows that he and Tim can take them all out together.

Tim knows his movements are a bit sluggish, his mind had been aware of how close he’d been to getting himself in a nice warm bed and it’d made his exhaustion heighten slightly. That was okay, a few thugs were all that stood between him and that bed and he could afford to be a bit slow with Jason there to cover his back. He moves around the side of the van, swinging his arm out to land a hit on one of the last men. He hadn’t noticed the second guy beside him and his reflexes are too slow in reacting before the guys cracking his knuckles across Tim’s jaw. The blow is enough to throw him off and before he can react he has an arm around his throat, yanking upward to choke him. The second guy turns, clutching the side of his head as he pulls a gun up.

Tim twists in the grip around his body, trying to get to any pressure point to get free of the grasp. In the same effect, he turns as much as he can, yanking the guy who has hold of him around as well. The shot rings in his ears after the pain explodes in his chest. Tim’s faintly able to hear Jason screaming his name, but the ringing in his ears drowns that all out pretty quickly. And then he’s stumbling back because the arms around him are falling away and he tries to catch himself on anything, but he can’t breathe.

Jason manages to catch Tim before he falls completely, drawing him close to his chest as he presses himself against the side of the van because he doesn’t feel like he can keep himself upright. He presses his palm to the bullet wound against Tim’s collarbone, trying desperately to stop the blood flow. Tim splutters, trying to get air back into his lungs.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got you, you’re gonna be okay Tim, you’re okay, everything’s okay, everything’ll be alright, just stay with me, stay with me, I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” Jason’s heart pounds in his chest, his gut twisting like he’s going to be sick. Tim’s body convulses, and he continues to choke on his own blood.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Jason knows that it isn’t Tim bleeding out that’s going to kill him, but he still presses his hand into the wound harder like it will help when he knows it isn’t. He rips his helmet off, throwing it almost across the entire alley in his haste to be able to reach his earpiece, changing the frequency. “Bruce, B-Bruce, please, you’ve gotta, Tim… fuck you have to do something.”

“Jason? What’s going on?” Bruce’s voice comes through so calm that it could make Jason scream, but he knows he has to keep it together, he has to breathe. _Tim has to breathe_.

“Tim got shot, he’s-he, fuck- I can’t-” Jason grits his teeth and cradles Tim closer to him. He’s fighting, Jason knows from the weak coughs he’s still giving and the fact he’s trying to move.

“Where are you, Jason?”

Before Jason can answer, Barbara’s voice is cutting in. “West side of Gotham, two blocks out from his safehouse, I’ll direct you.”

He’s never been more relieved to have her nosing around in his business and keeping tabs on their locations. “I’m eight minutes out,” Bruce responds and Jason’s heart sinks.

“He won’t make it.” Jason’s voice is weak, as weak as he feels at the realisation. Even if he could get Tim to his safehouse, he has nothing there to keep him alive.

“You can keep him alive Jason.” Bruce’s voice is rougher now, more commanding like Jason wasn’t already doing everything he could. Jason slides down the van, holding Tim’s body tighter as he shakes his head to himself. He knows he can’t.

Tim’s staring back up at him, throat working as his body tries desperately to keep him alive. It’s not enough, Jason knows he’ll be dead within the next few minutes, no matter what he does. Even if Bruce could get there in time, Tim’s body was already going into shock. Jason clenches his jaw, squeezing his eyes shut as he presses his forehead against Tim’s. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry Tim. Fuck, I-I…”

Tim’s weak, but he manages to lift his hand from where it had been clutching Jason’s shoulder to grip the side of Jason’s neck. Jason opens his eyes and looks back at Tim. Tim’s lips quiver as he tries to form words, but he can’t do much but choke on them. Jason manages to read ‘it’s okay’ which does nothing to make him feel any better. He leans forward and presses his lips to Tim’s, brief and short and finds that Tim’s taste like blood and already feel colder than they should.

“I’m sorry Babybird. I love you, I love you. I-I’ve got you.” Jason watches as Tim tries to swallow, causing him to choke more and his tense muscles go rigid in Jason’s arms. “Hey, it’s okay, I’ve got you, I’m not letting go, Tim, I’ve got you.”

Jason’s relieved for the mask between him and Tim’s eyes because he’s not forced to watch the life leave them that way. Tim’s body suddenly goes lax and the fight stops. Anyone else, and Jason doubts they would’ve survived a bullet to the chest as long as Tim had. Jason pulls his body closer, gripping the back of Tim’s head as he pulls him up more, pressing his face into the side of Tim’s neck. He slides his blood-drenched hand around Tim’s back and holds him tighter against his chest. He tries to muffle the sound of his crying against Tim’s skin as his body shakes. _It wasn’t fair_.

Six minutes too late, Jason hears the Batmobile as it speeds down the streets before coming to a dangerously fast stop at the end of the alley. Jason doesn’t move, he doesn’t loosen his hold on Tim’s body at all even though he turns his head just enough to see Bruce moving toward him. He doesn’t even seem to give a glance to the dead bodies surrounding them as he drops to his knees in front of Jason. Jason stares back up at him as he runs his eyes over Tim’s body, taking hold of his limp arm and pressing his fingers to the inside of Tim’s wrist like maybe he’d find a pulse. It was the last bit of hope, Jason understood that.

Bruce’s tense shoulders drop as he lifts his gaze to Jason again. Wordlessly, he reaches up and runs his fingers slowly through Jason’s hair. He pulls Jason into his body, hugging him tight against his chest. Jason fights the urge to keep his grip on Tim but let’s go with one arm to grip the back of Bruce’s cape in a tight fist. He’s not sure how long Bruce holds onto him, letting him cry into his shoulder until Jason’s exhausted. He slowly pulls back, slumping against the van again as he tips his head back. He tightens his hold on Tim when Bruce reaches for him. Bruce doesn’t try to take his body from him and Jason watches as Bruce peels Tim’s mask off. He almost wished he hadn’t when he’s met with the dead stare of Tim’s eyes. Bruce slides his fingers over Tim’s eyelids and closes them.

“I’m sorry Jason.” Bruce manages in a weak voice and it occurs to Jason then, that Bruce had been crying too. Jason swallows thickly and shakes his head.

“There was nothing you could do.” He croaks, trying to get the lump out of his throat. Bruce drops his gaze before he reaches up to cup the back of Jason’s neck again. He pulls him in again and presses their foreheads together. Jason closes his eyes and swallows again.

When they pull back again, Jason reluctantly looks back down to Tim. He sucks in a shaky breath and leans down to kiss his forehead softly, his skin already starting to feel cold. He pulls Tim closer once more and tips his head enough to press a final kiss to his lips. “I love you, I always will. I’m sorry Tim.”

Bruce drops his gaze again. He might not have always agreed with Jason, especially when it came to his relationship with Tim, but he knew that Jason had always meant everything he’d said. He knew Jason cared for Tim, he knew Jason loved him, no matter how many times he’d give them a sideways glare whenever they were at the manor together. In the end, it wasn’t Jason he should have been worrying about, Tim became his own downfall.

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out my Tumblr](http://bloodthirstymerc.tumblr.com/about_merc) for more of me and earlier updates! It'd mean the world to me and would really help me out.


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